Ingredients
- 250 grams flour
- 400 mL Milk
- 20 grams Butter
- 1 teaspoon castor sugar
- 3 grams dried yeast
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Instructions
- Heat the butter and milk together over a low heat until the butter has melted. Set the mixture to the side to stand until it has become lukewarm.
- Combine the sugar and yeast in a small bowl and add 100 mL of the milk mixture. Stir to dissolve then cover and set aside in a warm place to stand for about 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour with a pinch of salt. Add the yeast mixture and stir to incorporate. Add in the remaining milk mixture and stir until combined. Cover and stand for 90 minutes.
- Add 25 mL of water to a small bowl and add in the bicarbonate of soda. Stir to dissolve and then add into the batter and stir to combine. Cover the batter again and stand for another 30 minutes.
- Heat a frypan over medium-low heat. Add in some butter, then add 4 10cm crumpet rings to the pan. Add 1/2 cup of batter to each ring.
- Cook the crumpets for about 4-5 minutes, until small holes form on the surface.
- Take the rings off the crumpets, flip and then cook for a further minute. Remove the crumpets from the pan and cover with a tea towel to keep warm while you cook the remaining batter.
It’s hard to make a comparison between a homemade crumpet and something you would buy at the store. Simply put, once you have tried these bad boys, you will never want to go back to store bought ever again. The key to these is the crispy base combined with a soft, doughy middle. They make the perfect vessel for soaking up syrup and flavor.
Preparing the Milk Mixture
Start by heating the milk and butter in a saucepan over a low heat. You are simply just wanting to melt the butter at this point, so you don’t need to get the milk boiling. With the butter melted, you now need to stand the mixture aside and allow it to cool until its lukewarm. This is important to do as anything too hot will kill the yeast your about to add (anything about 60 °C will kill yeast).
Next, combine the yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Add in 100 mL of the milk mixture and then stir to dissolve everything. Set this mixture aside in a warm place for 5 minutes, allowing it to become foamy.
Preparing the Crumpet Batter
In a large mixing bowl, add in the flour, along with a pinch of salt. Add in the yeast mixture and stir until combined. Following this, add in the remaining milk mixture and incorporate this into the batter too. Cover the batter and stand it in a warm place for about 90 minutes. It should become very foamy during this time.
After the 90 minutes is up, dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in 25 mL of water and add it to the batter. Stir to incorporate. Cover the batter again and stand it for another 30 minutes to develop bubbles.
Cooking the Crumpets
The key to cooking great crumpets is to do them low and slow. Cooking them too fast will leave a raw middle and a potentially burnt base.
Start by heating your frypan over a medium-low heat. Add in a little butter to the pan and give it a swirl to coat the base. Add some 10 cm crumpet rings to the pan and then add approximately 1/2 cup of batter to each ring.
Cook the crumpets for about 4-5 minutes, until small holes appear on the surface. At this point, remove the rings and flip over the crumpet, cooking the other side for a further minute. Remove the crumpets from the pan and cover with a tea towel to keep warm while you cook the remaining batter.
The crumpets are best served while warm, but any remaining crumpets can be covered and then toasted the following day. Try serving the crumpets with some syrup and then a serving of fresh fruit or berries.
